THE LADIES CHORUS
In the early years, the Maennerchor was a family club and the wives, sisters, and daughters of the male members came to most of the functions, including rehearsals and concerts. The ladies decided to form a chorus of their own and 16 women led by Mrs. Edger Metzger, their first president, organized the Damenchor under the direction of Andrew Neuss on October 16, 1922.
The ladies chorus prospered under director Ernest Edwards and had grown to 34 voices when Herbert Fiss arrived as director in 1933. His musical talents attracted ore singers and the 50th anniversary program in 1941 lists 59 ladies.
Continuing improvement led to a first prize at the State Saerigerfest in Williamsport in 1948. This was followed by another first prize at Lebanon in 1949. An excellent performance earned them a first prize at the National Saengerfest in Philadelphia in 1950.
In 1957 the ladies won the prestigious Wanderpreis Trophy as the best ladies chorus in the National Competition in New York City. Four state championships followed 1960 to 1963. In 1964 Herbert Fiss directed the women to capture the Wanderpreis again in New York.
The ladies continued their fine competitive choral work with first place trophies at Reading, 1970, Lebanon, 1973 and Altoona in 1974. In 26 years the ladies won three National titles and nine State titles, a very impressive record!
Reprinted from the 95th Anniversary Celebration Program of the Beethoven Maennerchor.